
The Queen of l^ight 



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FHEDEJ^IC M. SPOTSWOOD 



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THE QUEEN OE NIGHT 



THE POET'S DREAM 



FREDERIC M. SPOTS\^^OOD 



/y 7 3 3 c 



CINCINNATI 
Press of Robert Clarke & Co. 

1892 



V'^^^\\ 



PS ^^"^^ 

S5 



Copyright, 



THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 



How sweet to watch the sea at night 

All quiet and serene : 
With never a ripple or a sound 

To mar the peaceful scene. 
When the moonbeams play at hide and seek 

O'er the slumbering wave ; 
When the hour is midnight, and the wind 

Is silent as the grave. 



On such a night, at such an hour, 

I stood upon the shore ; 
And sensations came upon me 

I had never felt before. 
I thought of days of olden time 

When nymphs and naiads fair 
Assembled on that very spot 

Disporting in the air. 



4 THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 

III. 

But hark ! what noise is that I hear ? 

Surely not a breeze ; 
Nor can it be the rustling 

Of the leaves upon the trees. 
Now, as I scan with eager eye 

The surface of the sea, 
I see afar a brilliant light 

That nearer comes to me. 



IV. 

And now sweet music greets my ear. 

Oh ! list, ye gods of night ; 
It must be that of angel choir 

Stayed in their heav'nly flight. 
Far out upon the waters clear 

A little bark I see ; 
It swiftly skims the silent deep 

Bearing straight to me. 



No mortal tongue can ever tell 
The rapture that was mine, 

While listening to those thrilling notes 
Of music so divine : 



THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 

The bark glides nearer to the shore 
Deep silence reigns supreme ; 

I can not move, I can not speak, 
It surely is a dream. 



And now a figure stands erect, 

" Be still my trembling heart;" 
Such beauty never lived on earth. 

Of Heav'n it is a part. 
Her heavy locks of golden hair 

Are trailing at her feet ; 
Her brilliant eyes of deepest blue 

Mine try in vain to meet. 



vir. 

They glow and glisten like two stars, 

They shed a fiery flame ; 
For so much love and tenderness 

Language knows no name. 
Half parted lips of coral red 

Reveal the rarest pearls ; 
Two dimples nestle in her cheeks 

Veiled by her golden curls. 



THE qup:en of night. 



VIII. 



Around her graceful form there hun| 

A robe of white and gold; 
A poet's dream of loveliness — 

(And half has not been told). 
A diadem of precious stones 

Of wealth and beauty rare, 
Shed all around a ray of light 

Like sunshine in the air. 



IX. 

And on that crown upon her head 

These words were written plain : 
'' Isabel, Queen of the Night, 

And of the sea, doth reign." 
Around this queen of loveliness 

Their beauty unsurpassed. 
Were grouped six maidens who propelled 

That bark, without a mast. 



A snowy arm was raised on high 

And all around was still ; 
The Night Queen sang a song so sweet 

My very soul did thrill ; 



THE QUEEN OF NKIHT. 

It was the song that charmed me there 

That night beside the sea ; 
And as I think and dream of her 

The words come back to me. 



[So/igof the Night (liiccn.^ 

There is some one seeking a lover, 

Some one tender and true ; 
Tho' kings of the sea round her hover 

Some one has chosen you. 

'Tis some one roaming the ocean 
Some one Queen of the Night, 

Who offers to you a pordon 
Of aU her power and might. 

Some one gives you a heart, 

Some one lovely and bright ; 
Oh say, are you ready to start. 

To the home of the Queen of the Night ? 

Some one is hoping and waiting, 

Some one is longing for you ; 
With love that knows no abating, 

She watches you now with her crew. 



8 THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 

Some one will care for you ever, 
Some one will love you alone ; 

And nothing shall part us, no never, 
When Isabel once is your own. 

Some one has eyes that are beaming, 
Some one has cheeks like the rose ; 

Some one thinks he is dreaming ; 

Does he love? Ah, somebody knows. 

\CJionis of Sea Nymphs. \ 

Some one is singing so sweetly 

Some one is filled with delight; 
Some one is vanquished completely 

By Isabel, Queen of the Night. 
Queen of the murmuring sea. 

Beautiful goddess of night ; 
And happy, so happy are we 

]]lio share her lin'c and her might. 



A blissful thrill of pure delight 
Suffused my trembling heart ; 

And then I knew and felt the joy 
Which first love can impart. 



THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 



I often thought and talked of love 

So full of mystery ; 
But Oh ! what happiness I found 

In sweet reality. 



XII. 

I had no will or power to think, 

I cried out in despair : 
" Oh, leave me not thus, Isabel, 

But take me anywhere, 
For life itself away from thee 

Is worse than death to me ; 
My heart is thine, and thou art mine 

Through all eternity." 



XIII. 

'' I can have no abiding place 

Save in thee alone ; 
Without thee all is darkness 

Since thy eyes on me have shone. 
Earth's creatures are but shadows now 

To thee I fondly cling, 
And I could give up life itself 

If but to hear thee sing." 



lO THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 

XIV. 

Earth seemed to wane and fade away 

Just how I can not tell; 
But thro' it all and every-where 

I saw Queen Isabel. 
A charming sense of listlessness 

Pervaded all my being ; 
When Heav'nly visions come, and then 

Like shadows, swiftly fleeing, 

XV. 

Then helplessly I yielded 

To some unseen fascination ; 
And passively I closed my eyes 

Devoid of animation. 
And then I heard a low, sweet voice. 

Given in command : 
"Away, my maidens, out to sea, 

Back to our native land.'' 

XVI. 

Now though I did not dare to move, 

I opened wide my eyes ; 
And what I saw around me 

Filled my heart with glad surprise. 



THE gUEEN OF NKIHT. II 



I lay on bed of roses 

Of every tint and clime ; 

And all I saw was wonderful 
In beauty and design. 



XYII. 

There sat on either side of me 

Three maidens clothed in white ; 
There was another at my feet 

She was the Queen of Night. 
Each wore a wreath of rarest flowers 

Whereon was written plain, 
In letters made of precious stones, 

Her station and her name. 



XVIII. 

Marguerite was tall and very fair. 

Her eyes were grayish blue ; 
She looked so coy, so innocent, 

I thought " her heart is true." 
I longed to have her for my friend, 

And I decided there 
That she should be my confidant 

And everv secret share. 



12 THE QUEEN OF NKiHT. 

XIX. 

And Eleanore, whose love-lit eyes 

And far-off pensive gaze, 
Filled my heart with longing 

And with thoughts of happy days. 
Her heart seemed in the distance 

And she breathed a gentle sigh ; 
For her I felt compassion 

As she watched the moon-lit sky. 



XX. 

Lucille was small and dainty, 

And her merry laugh was heard 
Above the rippling waters 

Like the singing of a bird. 
I said, " She's fair to look upon, 

But what is that to me? 
For I can never be a friend 

To such frivolity." 



XXI. 

Viola was full of grace, 
Her raven locks did hang 

Over shoulders white as snow 
And Oh, how sweet she sang. 



THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 1 3 

A winning smile lit up her face ; 

I said, " How sweet and fair, 
It is not difficult to see 

That modesty is there." 

XXII. 

Amelia, although beautiful. 

Was not what I would deem 
An ideal of true womanhood 

Or of a poet's dream ; 
Her eyes were bright and sparkling. 

But with coldness and disdain ; 
"A heartless flirt," I sadly sighed. 

There, love can never reign. 

XXIII. 

Olivia, Oh, I long to tell 

What words can not express ; 
The love that beamed within her eye 

Proclaimed her tenderness. 
And Grecian pen could not portray 

Such beauty and such grace ; 
Her smile would shame the sun's bright ray — 

She had a heavenly face. 



THE QUEEN OF NIGHT 



XXIV. 



Her voice was like the lullaby 

Of night, so full of ease ; 
It seemed to be the echo 

Of a gentle summer breeze. 
" Olivia, will sing to us, 

Said Isabel, the Queen ;" 
And stranger, hearken to her song, 

'T is called '" A Poet's Dream." 

[0/rc'ia .SV//^^.s-.] 

Away ye phantoms of the night 

That mar my dream of love so bright ; 

I will not think of broken vow, 

'T is but a vision anyhow. 

For while he held my hand so fair 

He said, "By all the gods, I swear 

Through life and through eternity 

I will be true to thee." 

Oh, star, shine brightly from above 
Upon my absent wand'ring love ; 
Nor ever let him sorrow know 
Nor feel the touch of cruel woe. 
Always on his pathway shine 
For I was his and he was mine. 



THE gUEEN OF NIGHT. 1 5 

And I shall never know repose 
Till on his cheek I see the rose ; 
Which faded as he said " farewell"— 
That word which as a funeral knell 
Brought grief and anguish to my heart 
Which never, never shall depart. 

While gazing at the pale moon's beam 
Or at the star's bright silver sheen ; 
My longing heart does yearn in vain 
To hear his words of love again. 
The gentle sigh of evening breeze 
Is sweet to lovers 'neath the trees ; 
But ah, what agony to me, 
For it recalls what used to be 1 

He saw a fairer one than I, 

He loved her and left me to die ; 

Ah, fickle man! Ah, cruel heart! 

Do recollections never start 

Of one who loved and trusted you ? 

To whom you vowed you would be true ? 

Yet think not I would have thee near 

While others are to thee more dear. 

I think of thee and sadly sigh. 

And Oh, I long for days gone by. 



1 6 THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 

XXV. 

If I admired Olivia, 

Before I heard her voice; 
I now knew I could w^orship her 

And that she was my choice. 
That voice so full of sympathy 

Brought tears into my eyes ; 
Her gaze w^as fixed upon me 

And I heard responsive sighs. 

XXVI. 

Just then I looked at Isabel, 

The lovely Queen of Night ; 
Her violet eyes were beaming 

With a tender, happy light. 
She said, " We'll take our captive 

To a land where he shall be 
The courted of our maidens. 

And the theme of minstrelsy." 

xxvii. 

So there he shall abide with us. 
And, if he stand the test, 

Then he shall take unto himself 
The one he loves the best. 



THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 1 7 

But if like others heretofore 
He knows not whom to choose, 

Then he returns from whence he came, 
Forever a recluse. 



XXVIII. 

And now borne on the evening breeze 

Comes music soft and clear ; 
'T is lute and harp in sweet accord, 

It must be very near. 
The bark glides swifdy to a bank, 

But once again I find 
That I am helpless as at first 

In body and in mind. 

XXIX. 

I fell into a slumber sweet, 

I dreamed of Isabel ; 
And then I saw Olivia 

In a lonely mountain dell. 
I thought I heard her whisper, 

Her voice was sweet and clear ; 
' ' How very happy I should be 

If he were always near." 



1 8 THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 

XXX. 

Aroused from sleep and startled 

I sprang up from the ground ; 
For quite a while I could not think 

But wildly looked around. 
Then gradually came back to me 

Remembrance of the past; 
And then I sighed, " It was a dream 

Which was too sweet to last." 



XXXI. 

But doubts and fears were soon dispelled, 

For as I looked around 
I saw I was a captive. 

And my hands were fetter bound. 
Such a prison ! Such a chain 1 

Were never seen before, 
And I smiled wath satisfaction 

As I watched my prison door. 

XXXII. 

In rich profusion every-where 
Were scattered rarest flowers ; 

And all the air seemed laden 
With delicious fragrant showers. 



THE QUEEN OF NKIHI'. 1 9 

Hie lilac and the locust bloom 

Entwined my wrists around ; 
With eager expectation 

I waited for a sound. 



XXXIII. 

I had not very long to wait, 

For soon I heard a voice ; 
It brought me sweetest ecstacy 

And made my heart rejoice. 
"Bring the prisoner forth," it said, 

We can not long delay ; 
His trial must be over 

Before the dawn of dav. 



xxxiv. 

Ere I could realize the truth 

My eyes were bandaged tight ; 
And I was hurriedly led out 

Before the Queen of Night. 
Excitement reached its highest pitch, 

And yet I had no fear ; 
For tho' 't was strange, I felt secure 

When Isabel was near. 



THE QUEKN OF NI(;HT 



XXXV 



Then came in accents sweet and low 

The voice I loved to hear ; 
It brought me comfort, peace and hope, 

'T was music to my ear. 
"Sir Poet, you are standing now 

Before the Queen of Night ; 
On either side are twenty maids 

Who watch you with delight.'* 

XXX VI. 

"Now, when you are at liberty, 

Look well to either side ; 
And choose the one that you jjrefer 

To be your future bride. 
Not one of them will you refuse 

Not even Isabel, 
And if you choose Jicr from you.r heart 

She'll always love you well.'' 

XXXVII. 

I thought my choice was surely made, 

That Isabel would be 
The one to light my path through life 

To share my destiny. 



THE OUF.EN OF NIGHl' 



And visions of a happy home 

Where love should reign supreme, 

Filled my heart with ecstacy^ — 
Life seemed a blissful dream. 



XXXVIII. 

The sighing of the evening breeze 

Was sweet, so sweet to me ; 
Just then the veil was lifted 

And again my eyes could see. 
I will not now describe the sight, 

I could not if I would ; 
Comjjletely charmed I looked around 

As speechless there I stood. 

XXXIX. 

Two lines of twenty maidens each 

Were standing on the green ; 
Each faced the other and I knew 

That I must go between. 
One minute's time to each of them 

In which if I should feel 
That she was all my heart's desire, 

To that one, I should kneel. 



22 THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 

XL. 

'T is said by some that mortal tongue 

Was never made to give 
Expression to the sentiment 

Which in the heart doth Hve. 
So I will not attempt it, 

For time and space are brief; 
And with the thought, what might have been, 

Comes the deepest grief. 



XLI. 

I started down the narrow space 

With faltering step and heart ; 
And then I knew that after all 

Mine was no easy part. 
For though my gaze was fixed upon 

The lovely Queen of Night, 
I felt that other eyes were there 

Equally as bright. 



XLII. 

To Isabel, I came at last, 
I could not speak with ease ; 

Indeed my heart was in my throat, 
I fell ujion my knees. 



THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 

"Queen of the Night," I murmured, 
''And of the boundless sea, 

Wherever I may wander 
I will remember thee." 



XLIII. 

." I know not why or how you^bring 

Such joy into my heart ; 
I only know that of this life 

You are my better part '' 
"Turn to the left," quoth Isabel, 

"Your time with me expires — 
One other yet remains to see. 

Who all your love desires. '^ 



I turned, and Oh, my heart did sink, 

For beautiful and fair, 
Olivia stood and looked at me 

The picture of despair. 
"Olivia," I cried in grief, 

".Forgive me, I am thine. 
And every hope and joy in life 

For thee I will resign." 



24 THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 

XLV. 

Her dreamy eyes were bright with love 

She shook her head and wept ; 
Ah, could I break this trusting heart 

For me, so fondly kept ? 
And then in words of stern command 

Spoke Isabel, the queen, 
''Double hearted flatterer 

Your like w^as never seen.'' 

XLVI. 

" Youll never know the happiness 

Which sweet contentment brings ; 
For you are vain and fickle 

And you wish for better things. 
You talk and write of woman's love. 

We thought you were sincere ; 
But you prove yourself unworthy 

And you must not linger here." 

XLVII. 

I know that I can never speak 

The anguish of my heart, 
AMien in scorn and proud disdain 

She bade me to depart. 



THE QUEEN OF NIOHT. 

Olivia, was lost to me, 

The Queen of Night as well ; 
The misery that filled my soul 

No words of mine can tell. 

XLVIII. 

What happened next, I can not say 

All was a blank to me ;" 
When I awoke to consciousness 

I lay beside the sea. 
I gazed out at the wat'ry waste. 

And fading from my sight 
Was the bark that brought to me 

The lovely Queen of Night. 

XLIX. 

And now, by the sad sea w^ave 

I languish all alone ; 
And for my pride and folly 

I never can atone. 
And often at the midnight hour 

I watch upon the shore ; 
My heart longs for Olivia, 

But a voice says, "Nevermore.'' 



26 THE QUEEN OF NIGHT. 

L. 

I see her now in visions lone 

With her dark flashing eye ; 
In dreams I see her smile so sweet 

And hear her pensive sigh. 
I linger yet beside the sea, 

Hoping, but in vain — 
Olivia, nor Isabel, 

Will ever come again. 



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